Hope you all had a good Christmas.

Thinking of combining fishing and camping next season, havent done much camping before. I think it would be nice to head off to different lakes at the weekends and camp overnight. Just wondering if anyone else does this?

Been doing it for 45 years brilliant.but I'm going to give you a bit of advice.It's not cheap.The mistake most folk in the UK make is they buy rubbish gear,so when bad weather arrives(and it will) you have a terrible time including no sleep,Then they come back saying Campings rubbish..buy good gear and you can go to bed at night without worries.£100 for a sleeping bag. £300 for a 2 person tent.should get you a comfy nights kip(really important) in the UK you can have sub zero temps in july.

Jim

__________________
The Fishermans Friend is the Flirty Fly,Fickle Food for Fleeting Fish.

I take it you haven't been to my website then

Fly Fishing for Wild Brown Trout Walking and Camping in Scotland

As Jim says. Don't skimp on sleeping bag or tent unless you are sure they will do all that you want them to. Check the army surplus sites and have a look at Snugpack gear which I have heard good reports about.

__________________
Don't worry, be happy.
Sandy
Carried it in full, then carry it out empty.

Love camping , though not done so for a while but am going to start again next year when I go off on a quest for Bass around the south coast

__________________
Your fish ----> ><((((º> My fish ----> ><(((((((((º>
__________________

Cheers Danny

Co-Founder of S.S.F.D 2010

Absolutely agree with the above about the need to get good gear. BUT it can be expensive. If you buy new season models - particularly in tents, you pay full whack, if you can find last season models, or wait until autumn you can get big discounts. And if you buy a tent, go and look at it first, before buying online.

If you are new to camping, it is worth reading up on it all first. Stuff like "hydrostatic head" actually matters

---------- Post added at 10:30 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:27 PM ----------

Hey, Danny. Which south coast?

__________________
"Take not out your 'ounds on a werry windy day" Surtees.

Jim has it right for sure do your homework. Take from a guy who nearly suffered hypothermia in 1979. Buy good gear! Here in North America since the 79' debacle I've camped from the Gulf of Mexico coast to Winter camps in Alaska and the right gear is all there is to it. Beyond the tent (here I use a North Face Expedition 25 in the foul stuff and a light weight Mtn. Hardware 1 man for quick camps) and the sleeping bag there is one other piece of prime equipment. A good sleeping pad that will roll up to be tiny and light. After trying a few I have settled on a Big Agnes inflatable sleeping pad. These are insulated and manually inflate to 2" thick and are like a night at home when compared to tossing & turning between rocks and roots. They roll down to a 4 X 8" stuff sack and work great whether backpacking, bicycling, or motor biking.

For the super minimalist there are the one man Bivy tents. One is shown here with an off road salmon camp from 2006. These roll down to 5 X 13" and weigh about 5 lbs. By having the right stuff I can fit the tackle including waders, the food and cook gear, and yes I strap a cooler full of beer and a chair to the top of the luggage rack for good measure. When the food and beer have been emptied from the cooler you can use it to transport fish on the return trip.

[IMG][/IMG]

Oh Sorry , Kerry and Cork . Was down there this year for Bass but was all bait fishing but think I found some nice spots that are just the job with a fly .

__________________
Your fish ----> ><((((º> My fish ----> ><(((((((((º>
__________________

Cheers Danny

Co-Founder of S.S.F.D 2010

It is very easy to get suckered into spending silly money on gear.. if you have a two day hike in then you should be prepared to deal with rough conditions - but if you are only an hour or so from the vehicle then a cheaper approach can work just fine.

There are quite good light(ish) weight tents around for under £50 and bags for under £35 - and you can be reasonably comfortable eight nughts in ten - the other two nights you book into a hotel.

__________________
Plusnet/Madasafish > Liars to the internet community

Sounds great, but summer and bass seem a long way away.

__________________
"Take not out your 'ounds on a werry windy day" Surtees.

Yes a while off yet BUT pike until then , then the trout starts in 7 weeks in some places so that should keep me going , all the planning for next year has my stomach rolling with excitement already

Could get them down there in March but think I will leave it for comfort reasons until late June/early July and then again September ...

__________________
Your fish ----> ><((((º> My fish ----> ><(((((((((º>
__________________

Cheers Danny

Co-Founder of S.S.F.D 2010